Stephen is the Marketing Assistant for Incremental Business. He is in charge of website development, content creation, social media campaigns, and client database development.
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With social media quickly becoming a better medium to connect with your customers, having some form of social media for your business seems like a no-brainier. What takes more thought and planning, is where to go from there. Of course, you are going to be posting information about your business’s products and services. But if that’s all you’re doing, you won’t get the sort positive interaction with your customers that you are looking for and—you won’t see results.
1. Keep the focus of your content off of your business.
The first and arguably the most important thing for any business, is to keep the focus off of themselves. When a business only uses social media to constantly boast about themselves; it is a turn off. People don’t engage in social media because they are looking to find new businesses to buy from. Keeping that in mind, It is important to stagger updates promoting your business around things that are relevant in the lives of your customers. If you want to advertise your business there is also outdoor advertising, if you need to. Insert content about your business here and there; but it should never seem forced.
A great way to do this, is to post news and informational articles that are relevant to your business. If you run a gym, posting advice on how to eat right and stay fit would be a great way to keep your customers engaged in your posts. Doing so, will make your customers more apt to follow you and in turn more likely to buy from you. Providing useful, entertaining information will keep people coming back for more.
2. Use social media for customer service.
Many brands, particularly on twitter, are using social media to provide more efficient customer service. Doing so is much more common among larger companies, but smaller businesses should consider following suit. It doesn’t have to be proactive, just simply responding to a customer who is having a problem; or following up after the fact to make sure everything is going okay; is a great way to take your company over the top and keep your customers coming back. It’s no secret that customer service can be the difference between earning a customer for life or losing one. Why not make social media a part of your customer service strategy?
3. Connect with your followers.
Set aside time every day to reach out to a few of your followers. The key to earning business through social media is to keep posting and keep appearing on their time-line. The average customer that finds your company through social media will have seen your posts 11 times; so keep at it. Reaching out with a comment tailored personally to them will create a more personal experience and will make a follower more interested in learning more. Again, shy away from directly asking them to simply “check out” your business. Social media was intended for personal interactions. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by trying to plug your business. Instead, try to start a conversation and be entertaining. If they are interested and like what you have to say, they will look to see what you’re all about.
Let’s be clear: There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to and effective social media strategy. And anyone who professes to be an “expert” on the subject, likely has no idea what they are talking about. Social media is constantly changing and it is impossible to predict; but these three main points don’t seem likely to change any time soon. Be personal and be proactive. Then you will start to see results.
May
Social Media Part I: The Three Essential Ingredients to Getting Results
Posted by Stephen Willis / Marketing, Social Media
With social media quickly becoming a better medium to connect with your customers, having some form of social media for your business seems like a no-brainier. What takes more thought and planning, is where to go from there. Of course, you are going to be posting information about your business’s products and services. But if that’s all you’re doing, you won’t get the sort positive interaction with your customers that you are looking for and—you won’t see results.
1. Keep the focus of your content off of your business.
The first and arguably the most important thing for any business, is to keep the focus off of themselves. When a business only uses social media to constantly boast about themselves; it is a turn off. People don’t engage in social media because they are looking to find new businesses to buy from. Keeping that in mind, It is important to stagger updates promoting your business around things that are relevant in the lives of your customers. If you want to advertise your business there is also outdoor advertising, if you need to. Insert content about your business here and there; but it should never seem forced.
A great way to do this, is to post news and informational articles that are relevant to your business. If you run a gym, posting advice on how to eat right and stay fit would be a great way to keep your customers engaged in your posts. Doing so, will make your customers more apt to follow you and in turn more likely to buy from you. Providing useful, entertaining information will keep people coming back for more.
2. Use social media for customer service.
Many brands, particularly on twitter, are using social media to provide more efficient customer service. Doing so is much more common among larger companies, but smaller businesses should consider following suit. It doesn’t have to be proactive, just simply responding to a customer who is having a problem; or following up after the fact to make sure everything is going okay; is a great way to take your company over the top and keep your customers coming back. It’s no secret that customer service can be the difference between earning a customer for life or losing one. Why not make social media a part of your customer service strategy?
3. Connect with your followers.
Set aside time every day to reach out to a few of your followers. The key to earning business through social media is to keep posting and keep appearing on their time-line. The average customer that finds your company through social media will have seen your posts 11 times; so keep at it. Reaching out with a comment tailored personally to them will create a more personal experience and will make a follower more interested in learning more. Again, shy away from directly asking them to simply “check out” your business. Social media was intended for personal interactions. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by trying to plug your business. Instead, try to start a conversation and be entertaining. If they are interested and like what you have to say, they will look to see what you’re all about.
Let’s be clear: There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to and effective social media strategy. And anyone who professes to be an “expert” on the subject, likely has no idea what they are talking about. Social media is constantly changing and it is impossible to predict; but these three main points don’t seem likely to change any time soon. Be personal and be proactive. Then you will start to see results.
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